HPD Cheat Sheet 2026

The 30 highest-yield HPD facts, distilled from real exam questions. Print it, save it as a PDF, or study it here — free, no sign-up.

1. Which disorder is NOT listed as a potential differential diagnosis for HPD? → Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder
2. In HPD, gift-giving, flattery, or excessive praise directed at others typically serves which underlying purpose? → Gaining loyalty and sustained attention
3. In schema therapy, which early maladaptive schema is most central to HPD? → Approval-seeking/Recognition-seeking schema
4. The pattern of HPD individuals quickly forming intense bonds and then feeling disappointed when others don't reciprocate the same intensity is called: → Attachment anxiety
5. In HPD, the style of speech is often described as: → Excessively impressionistic and lacking in detail
6. For individuals with HPD, which self-help skill most directly addresses the core attention-seeking pattern? → Developing tolerance for not being the center of attention through mindfulness
7. Which relational dynamic is most common between people with HPD and those with Narcissistic Personality Disorder? → Mutually reinforcing but ultimately volatile relationships
8. In therapeutic relationships, individuals with HPD may attempt to: → Seduce or charm the therapist to maintain a special favored relationship
9. What type of psychotherapy is commonly used as a treatment for HPD? → Psychodynamic psychotherapy
10. The HPD pattern of excessive emotionality typically presents as emotions that are: → Intense but quickly forgotten and shifting
11. According to psychoanalytic theory, HPD is linked to fixation at which psychosexual stage? → Phallic stage
12. In attachment theory, HPD is most commonly associated with which attachment style? → Anxious-preoccupied attachment
13. A person with HPD considers a new acquaintance their closest friend after one meeting. This behavior reflects which DSM-5 criterion? → Criterion 8
14. Which psychologist introduced the Alternative DSM-5 Model for Personality Disorders (AMPD), affecting how HPD is assessed dimensionally? → Robert Krueger
15. In DSM-5 Section III's Alternative Model, HPD is notably absent as a listed disorder; instead its traits map primarily onto which domain? → Antagonism and negative affectivity
16. Which feature would most strongly suggest HPD over Bipolar II Disorder when a patient presents with dramatic, attention-seeking behavior? → Lifelong pervasive personality pattern rather than episodic onset of behavior change
17. The DSM-5 minimum threshold for an HPD diagnosis requires meeting at least how many of the 8 listed criteria? → 5
18. What is the primary reason why individuals might hesitate to seek professional help for Histrionic Personality Disorder (HPD)? → Fear of being stigmatized
19. Why might an employee with HPD be described as 'high maintenance' by supervisors? → They frequently need reassurance, validation, and attention
20. Which Cluster C personality disorder most commonly co-occurs with HPD, often in the same individual? → Dependent Personality Disorder
21. How do people with HPD typically present their emotions? → Shallow and exaggerated emotions.
22. Recovery in HPD is often associated with which life change that provides alternative sources of meaning and worth? → Developing genuine competencies, relationships, and non-appearance-based identity
23. Which accommodation strategy can most effectively help an HPD employee function better at work? → Providing structured feedback and recognition for genuine accomplishments
24. Which relationship pattern most often leads individuals with HPD to seek professional help? → Repeated romantic relationship failures and intense emotional distress
25. Pierre Janet, a contemporary of Freud, contributed to hysteria history by linking hysterical symptoms to: → Subconscious fixed ideas and dissociation
26. Which type of work task do individuals with HPD typically find most challenging to sustain? → Routine, detail-oriented tasks requiring sustained focus
27. When a person with HPD practices journaling as a coping tool, which specific skill is being developed? → Reflective self-awareness and deeper emotional processing
28. Which feature of Antisocial Personality Disorder distinguishes it from HPD, despite both involving impulsive or reckless behavior? → ASPD involves disregard for others' rights and lack of remorse; HPD does not
29. Which mood disorder is most frequently comorbid with HPD? → Major Depressive Disorder
30. Which US study found HPD to be one of the more commonly diagnosed personality disorders in outpatient psychiatric settings? → The Collaborative Longitudinal Personality Disorders Study (CLPS)